With the recent reports of the company’s furnaces being sold to a scrap dealer in Witbank, Mpumalanga it confirms definitively that Thomas Abrasives will, at least in the foreseeable future, not be manufacturing carbon shot in South Africa.

Thomas Abrasives has been manufacturing cast steel abrasives in Germiston, Gauteng since it was established in 1984 as a division of Thomas Foundry (Pty) Ltd. Started by one of the doyens of the industry, the late Terry Ryan, and his partner Brian Thomas, the company initially began manufacturing low carbon steel shot to supply both the South African and export shot markets. By 1989 it was apparent that further growth was only possible with the manufacture of steel grit and the plant was converted to a high-carbon manufacturing operation. Two years later, in March 1991, Thomas Abrasives (Pty) Ltd was formed.

In 1995, Thomas Abrasives was sold to the Wheelabrator Allevard Group of France with Terry Ryan staying on as Managing Director of the company until his retirement in 1997. The company had a name change in July 2012, shortly after its 50th anniversary. The Winoa Group, as it is now known, is the largest steel abrasives manufacturer in the world with 14 production plants located in Europe, North and South America, Russia, Asia and South Africa.

The Winoa Group, a French company headquartered in the Isère region. KKR subsequently seized control Winoa in a debt restructuring of the company after its previous private equity owner refused to inject cash.

2017 March KKR sold Winoa to US-based GP KPS Capital Partners. Thomas Abrasives falls under the W Abrasives portfolio. There is very little news published about W Abrasives. The company has a relatively new CEO who it is said is in a ‘clean up’ mood. Besides closing the manufacturing plant in South Africa he has also closed the company’s plant in the US and made some crucial management changes.

Thomas Abrasives supplies major local and overseas manufacturers with steel shot and grit abrasives. 30% of its production is supplied to local clients, including many in the foundry industry. The company had a monthly production capacity of 2 600 tons. There was no comment from the company and there is no news on the other equipment except that most of it has been cut up and sold off as scrap.

It is believed that the company stopped manufacturing in 2020.